Love at First Screening

In the season five finale, our hosts return to an episode formerly lost to the internet ether as they discuss Serendipity (2001) ... again. (And if you're reading this, their second-chance romance had a happy ending!) Special guest Lily has qualms with the main characters' blatant disregard for their romantic commitments — although for fidelity's biggest fan, she would not hesitate to kick Madison to the curb for the coveted position of LAFS cohost #PodsBeforePals. Chelsea thinks it's absurd anyone would run back up the aisle and flee the chapel for the stranger they spent only a few hours with over a decade ago. Madison, on the other hand, would trade her favorite pair of Docs for another chance with that New York-Italian firefighter she met in 2017. Starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, with memorable appearances from John Corbett, Eugine Levy, and Molly Shannon, our hosts and their guest are in for a lively discussion, where somehow, all roads lead to Mothman.

Connect With Us

Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected]

Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill

Music: Good Steph

Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone

Social Media: Marissa Ciccone

About the Show

An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.

Madison puts on her smarty pants and comes prepared to talk all things Desk Set (1957) with Chelsea. This Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy romp explores the age old battle of the intersection of industrialization and the human condition. Digressions include the Luddite movement and AI, but the conversation in this one really serves to remind listeners that both hosts actually did get something from their degrees-- the ability to dissect this film in a way as fun and interesting as dissecting owl pellets at the zoo as a kid. Wait, can we please get confirmation of how universal that experience is? Regardless, we hope you enjoy Chelsea's favorite pre-60's film thus far as both hosts come to develop a deep fondness for Hepburn (Katharine, that is). 

Connect With Us

Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected]

Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill

Music: Good Steph

Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone

Social Media: Marissa Ciccone

About the Show

An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.

Pack your party-ready wardrobe because we've RSVPd "I do" to an engagement (or seven) with The Wedding Year (2019). Starring Sarah Hyland and Tyler James Willams, with a special cameo from Wanda Sykes, this marriage manic rom com has our hosts weeping for every guest's bank account—and cheering for the gays (the only healthy relationship in this mess of a movie). P.S. Everyone (except Mara and Jake) is invited to Madison's future backyard taco truck wedding ... so long as someone pays for Chelsea to get ordained!

Connect With Us

Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected]

Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill

Music: Good Steph

Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone

Social Media: Marissa Ciccone

About the Show

An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.

Spooky season is upon us, the witching hour has struck, and our hosts alongside their fabulous guest, Ella, leap from the roof and land in the gorgeous New England landscape of 1998's Practical Magic.

Ella provides valuable, fresh insight for a movie the hosts have seen a million times and reminds us that while the bar is set in hell for men, we can always raise the standards. Folks, if he isn't helping cover up the murder he's investigating you for after you killed your sister's ex twice, he's not the one. Furthermore, if you don't look like Sam Claflin, you need not apply.

Thank you, as always, to our fearless meme queen, Marissa.

Connect With Us Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected] Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill Music: Good Steph Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone Social Media: Marissa Ciccone About the Show An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.

This week it's another Cynic's Choice! Has Chelsea picked an actual Rom Com, or has she pulled a fast one on the LAFSters yet again? As our hosts dive into Laggies (2014), Madison may be too distracted by Keira Knightley's American-accented performance to notice. With Sam Rockwell and Cholë Grace Moretz, this tale of feeling lost in adulthood — caught between expectation and personal truth — leads to messy exit strategies. You may have your ducks in a row, or you might just be a silly goose swimming in a pond of your own.

Connect With Us

Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected]

Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill

Music: Good Steph

Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone

Social Media: Marissa Ciccone

About the Show

An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.

As the moon grows fuller, our hosts and their fabulous guest, Andrea, find themselves quite Moonstruck (1987) by Cher's beauty and Nicolas Cage's dedication to his performance. Tune in as they discuss newly acquired vocal stims (MY HAND), the way Nic Cage should never say "To the bed" like that again, and how we should all revere Olympia Dukakis. Are men chasing youth (and women) to run from death? How many dogs does the grandpa own? Would you lose a hand to get out of a failing relationship? When can we get a Nic Cage werewolf movie? SHOULD MADISON GET A PERM???

As always, thanks to meme queen Marissa for her help as the hosts and guests dictate that she make them memes of their choosing.

Connect With Us Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected] Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill Music: Good Steph Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone Social Media: Marissa Ciccone About the Show An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.

This week, we circle back to Chappell Roan and the troublesome nature of parasocial relationships with a thoughtful discussion of The Idea of You (2024). Starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, this latest entry into the canon of what some are calling "MILF Cinema" has our hosts contemplating the perceptions of age gap romances, examining societal expectations of mothers, and asking: How the heck is Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia, old enough to have a teenage daughter? Madison feels bamboozled by the film's rom com billing, while Chelsea can't wrap her head around why age 60 in 2024 looks 80 years younger than 60 in 1985.

This week, Mads puts Chelsea's friendship with her to the ultimate test as they watch 2012's Wanderlust. Do you long to be disturbed by Paul Rudd saying overtly disgusting sexual things in a mirror? Do you wish to feel let down by Jennifer Aniston? Do you want to question your allegiance to watching anything Kathryn Hahn is in? Do you want to replace Mads as Chelsea's permanent guest host? Boy, do we have a movie for you! For the first time in LAFS history, we are advising you to not watch the movie and instead simply listen to our incoherent ramblings on it. 

Mads gets salty about the portrayal of Georgia geography in the movie while Chelsea returns to her real passion-- inflation calculation. We can only hope that Marissa's memes can save us and make this recording process worth it. #ShawnMendesPrevails

This week, our hosts embark on a campy adventure to track down a priceless artifact at gunpoint with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in The Lost City (2022). While Madison thinks the pink jumpsuit lasted far too long in that jungle, she agrees with Chelsea's assertion that this 21st-century take on Romancing the Stone improves the "romance novelist finds herself on a romantic adventure" plot. With memorable performances from Daniel Radcliffe and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, this hilarious tale of a botched-heroic-rescue-turned-healing-journey-through-grief has our hosts in stitches while contemplating literary snobbery. #ShawnMendes

This week, our hosts find themselves embroiled in a discussion of the issues of philanthropy, system theory, and who should be driving community support projects. Is Two Weeks Notice the rom-com exploration of Audre Lorde's quote “For the master’s tool will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change"? Oh, and they chat about Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock and how they make this seemingly incongruous movie worth the watch..Perhaps some backdrops for rom-coms are too difficult to get past, even with an amazing cast and excellent script.

Connect With Us 

Follow us on Instagram @loveatfirstscreening or send an email to [email protected] 

 Production Hosts: Chelsea Ciccone and Madison Hill 

Music: Good Steph 

Artwork: Chelsea Ciccone

Social Media: Marissa Ciccone 

 About the Show 

 An examination of classic tropes and iconic characters pits connoisseur against cynic—one romantic comedy at a time. The cinematic world of love and laughter had rom-com enthusiast Madison head over heels from the time Harry met Sally. For genre skeptic Chelsea, however, it’s been a grueling enemies-to-lovers plot. In Love at First Screening, Madison introduces Chelsea to all the fan-favorite love stories she’s never wanted to watch. One friend’s passion might be the other’s displeasure, but doesn’t love conquer all? Tune in every Wednesday to find out.